This introductory portrait drawing class guides students through the fundamentals of drawing realistic human portraits. Using one of your favorite photographs, you’ll learn how to observe facial proportions, and capture expression and likeness, with simple, accessible techniques. Each session includes step‑by‑step demonstrations, guided practice, and personalized feedback. No prior drawing experience is required, just curiosity and a willingness to explore your creative side!

Water scenes are whatever you want them to be: exciting, calm, energizing, or even violent. Color schemes range from warm and sunny to cool and stormy and you can paint water any time of day (or night) at sunrise, sunset, or mid-day. Paint large (the ocean) or small (puddles). Water is fun to paint, interesting to view, and adds never-ending variety to your paintings. We will paint still water (with reflections) and waves in action.

All materials are supplied and no toxins will be used, just natural mediums and brush washing.

In this class students will learn how to safely and properly use the oxyacetylene torch, the properties of copper, the difference of work hardened vs. annealed, annealing copper, measuring and layout, cutting shapes with the beverly shear, sanding and deburring, hammer texturing, basic fold forming and shaping into a bracelet/cuff. Each student will take home their piece of jewelry!

In this 6-hour class, you will learn every step in creating a beautiful, finished gourd. Starting with how to properly clean the inside and outside of the gourd, you will learn how to cut open the gourd safely using manual and power saws. Three different techniques of applying color will be shown, and you will add rich color and personality to your own gourd.  We will finish the rim using basketry techniques.
By the end of the class, you will have the skills and confidence to create more gourds and continue to more advanced gourd art classes.

This class is designed to give beginning weavers an opportunity to create a textured wall hanging on a simple frame loom.  Students will learn how to set up the loom and how to use traditional and contemporary stitches to create a wall hanging sampler. They will also learn how to remove their finished work from the loom and add meaningful finishing touches to enhance their work.

At the end of this course, students will not only have a completed wall hanging to enjoy. They will also have access to an online “Stitch Library,” that they can access whenever they need to review stitches or techniques.

Ceramic Tile Relief

In the first class session, students will make a tile out of stoneware clay. They will learn how to make a slab and they will manipulate the clay for design, using carving away and addition of clay.

In the second class session, texture application and color application will be taught. Tiles will be completed and prepared to be fired.

In this class students will be working and playing with copper sheets and learning the properties of the alloy. They will learn how to use the necessary tools for layout, cutting, annealing, folding and manipulating the alloy into beautiful organic leaves. Quite a fun process!!!!

In this class, students will be introduced to Alison’s painting approach and methods.  Content will include oil painting techniques, theory, and classical design approaches.   Expressive concepts will be developed to move students into their own style and personal creative zone. Those students who have already studied with Alison will continue to move along this path.

Drawing from life gives form to our understanding of nature. Having a basic understanding of the tools and techniques of drawing helps us to appreciate the aesthetic nature of life. Adding watercolor painting further helps us understand why we see and interpret life as we do.

This class will explore the foundations of the craft of drawing and we’ll apply the basic skills of watercoloring to better inform student’s personal vision. In 1-1/2 hour classes, we will investigate the basic elements of drawing and explore water color techniques toward accomplishing student’s personal artistic appreciation.

Macrame is back! In this class, students will learn 3 basic knots. Students will use a wooden ring, cotton cord and these knots to help create a decorative plant hanger perfect for any corner of their home.

Kimekomi is a Japanese art form where fabric pieces are tucked into a base.  In this class students will be creating 2-D Kimekomi art that combines the painterly quality of impressionism, with complex quilting. We will begin by drawing a ‘stained-glass’ style design on foam core. We cover basic cutting techniques for the foam, then cutting and tucking techniques for the fabric.

This introductory portrait painting class guides students through the fundamentals of painting realistic human portraits. Using one of your favorite photographs, you’ll learn how to observe facial proportions, and capture expression and likeness, with simple, accessible techniques. Each session includes step‑by‑step demonstrations, guided practice, and personalized feedback. It is recommend to take Bill’s beginning portrait drawing class, but no prior painting experience is required, just curiosity and a willingness to push some paint around!

In this 9-hour class, you will learn every step in creating a beautiful woven loom gourd. In the first session, you will learn how to properly clean the inside and outside of the gourd and how to cut open the gourd safely using manual and power saws. Three different techniques of applying color will be shown, and you will add rich color and personality to your own gourd.

In the second session, we will remove a front portion of the gourd and sew a loom into the open area.  We will then weave a design into the loom. The top of the gourd will be finished using basketry techniques.  By the end of the class, you will have a beautiful, finished product along with the skills and confidence to create more gourds and continue to more advanced gourd art classes.

This class is designed to give the students who have completed Jan’s Beginning Weaving Class an opportunity to create a wall hanging of their own design. Samples of various completed weaving projects will be on hand so that students can determine the appearance and techniques they would like to create in their own work. Jan will then help each student to use the stitches they learned in the beginning class to create their own “signature” style.

When students complete this course, they will they have a one-of-a-kind wall hanging to enjoy and they will also have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to create future unique weavings.

In this 3-hour class, students will create an original 9x6” mosaic on slate using the direct application method. Tesserae for the design will include a variety of stained glass, pottery, tile, stone, beads, and gems. Nipping and shaping techniques will be presented as well as basic concepts in color and composition.

Welcome to one of life’s greatest joys and challenges, the world of oil painting. You will learn how to use paint to create the effects that you want, how to create volume and perspective, and gain insight into the traditional art of oil painting. This is “slow art,” a perfect antidote to today’s quick pace.  We will work on two paintings during the four-hour session: a still life and a landscape. 

All materials are supplied by the instructor. No toxins will be used, just natural mediums and brush washing.

In this 3-hour class, students will create an original mosaic on tile substrate using the indirect application method. Tesserae for the design will include a variety of stained glass, pottery, tile, stone, beads, and gems. Glass cutting as well as nipping and shaping techniques will be presented along with basic concepts in color and composition. All tools, adhesive, and tesserae will be provided.

This class is about painting FROM photographs; not simply painting photographic images. Using photos for inspiration, suggestion and accuracy is useful to creating a better painting. We can’t always paint outdoors or use a model, so photos are an excellent way to widen our scope of subject matter for painting. We will crop and grid photos, use composition techniques, and creativity to create original paintings. We will examine copyright law and photo sources, but most of class time will be spent creating an original painting. 

All materials are supplied by the instructor. No toxins will be used, just natural mediums and brush washing.

Water scenes are whatever you want them to be: exciting, calm, energizing, or even violent. Color schemes range from warm and sunny to cool and stormy and you can paint water any time of day (or night) at sunrise, sunset, or mid-day. Paint large (the ocean) or small (puddles). Water is fun to paint, interesting to view, and adds never-ending variety to your paintings. We will paint still water (with reflections) and waves in action.

All materials are supplied and no toxins will be used, just natural mediums and brush washing.